The first step to acquire CNA certification in Rhode Island is to take the Rhode Island Department of Health approved nurse aide program. Your name will be placed on the RI Nurse Aide Registry once you qualify both the parts (written and skills test) of the certification exam. Just obtaining a nursing assistant license is not enough to carry out your work smoothly; you need to renew it periodically (after every 2 years).
1. By Examination
If you wish to enroll in an approved nursing assistant program, consider fulfilling the following requisites:
2. By Examination- Nursing Students
If you are a nursing student pursuing a nursing program and have successfully completed two clinical nursing program courses, you need to fulfill the below-given requisites:
3. By RN or LPN License
If you are presently licensed as an RN or LPN in good standing and wish to obtain a CNA license in the state, you must meet the following eligibility criteria:
4. By Endorsement
If you currently hold an active nursing assistant license in good standing in another state and wish to transfer it to RI, you must fulfill the below-given requirements:
Confirmation of 100 Program Program Hours
If you are showing proof of completion of 100 program program hours, you are required to provide it on company letterhead or a copy of your Nursing Assistant Program Program Certificate, stating the number of skills, program hours and number of written program hours.
OR
Verification of 3 Months Employment
If you have not completed 100 hours of nursing assistant program program, you need to submit an employer’s statement that must demonstrate a minimum of 3 months of full-time work experience as a nursing assistant within the last year. For this, you must complete the top section of the Employment Verification Form present on the 11th page of the endorsement application and send it to your employer.
You may obtain CNA license in Rhode Island by following the below-given steps:
Step 1: Complete your nursing assistant program program.
Step 2: Download the “Rhode Island Nursing Assistant Program Application for Registration by Examination” using the following link:
http://www.health.ri.gov/applications/NursingAssistant.pdf
Step 3: Mail the application with all the appropriate information, documentation and fee to:
Rhode Island Department of Health
3 Capitol Hill, Room 105 – NA Board
Providence, Rhode Island 02908-5097
Step 4: After receiving your completed application and all the required documents, the Department of Health will process your application and a temporary Nursing Assistant license for 120 days will be issued, if you have applied for licensure by examination.
Step 5: Schedule and pass the exam. The examinations are conducted at the Newport, Lincoln, and Warwick Campus of the Community College of RI. You get 3 chances to pass both the written as well as skills exam.
CNA license in RI expires after every 24 months. You will be mailed a renewal notice approximately 60 days before the expiration date of your license. You are required to obtain the signature of an official in a certified Rhode Island health care facility, where you worked as a CNA 2 years before renewal.
Note: If you are employed in a facility other than a licensed Rhode Island health care facility, you are not eligible to renew your license.
Methods to Renew CNA License
Reinstating the Nursing Aide License in RI
If you ever held a nursing assistant license in the state of Rhode Island, you can reinstate it in either of the 2 ways:
OR
Use the following link to download the Address Change / Name Change / Lost License form:
http://www.health.ri.gov/forms/changeofaddress/Professions.pdf
If your name has been changed and you wish to get a new license, you are required to provide the following:
If you are using the application for address change, you can send the completed form via fax to the Rhode Island Department of Health at (401) 222-1751.
In case of lost license, submit a money order of $40.00 in the name of “Rhode Island General Treasurer”.
Submit this form along with the required amount of fee to the Rhode Island Department address mentioned above (Refer step no. 3 of Procedure to Obtain CNA Licensure in Rhode Island).
Note – You will receive the new license card within 3 to 4 weeks.
Use any of the following methods to verify your RI nursing aide license:
You will be required to enter the following information:
You will be required to enter the below given data:
Download the “Letter of License Verification Request” using the following link:
http://www.health.ri.gov/forms/recordrequest/LetterOfLicenseVerification.pdf
To obtain a letter of license verification, you are required to submit a fee of $50.00 via money order or certified bank check made payable to the “Rhode Island General Treasurer” to the Rhode Island Department address mentioned above (Refer step no. 3 of Procedure to Obtain CNA Licensure in Rhode Island).
Note – It may take 4 to 6 weeks to complete the process.
Question 1 – I want to transfer my nursing aide license from California to Rhode Island. What I need to do for this?
Answer – To transfer your license to RI, you are required to submit an endorsement application and meet all the requirements. You can download the form using the below link:
http://www.health.ri.gov/applications/NursingAssistant.pdf
Question 2 – I’ve misplaced my renewal notification, so I don’t have the website and renewal ID. From where can I get this information?
Answer – To look up your renewal ID, you can use any one of the following options:
The web address is- https://healthri.mylicense.com
Question 3 – My renewal notification states that I can renew online, however, I am not able to see any license to renew. Can I renew my license online?
Answer – There may be chances that your license type was inactive at the time the renewal applications were produced. In this case, you must contact the Licensing Data Entry
Unit for assistance by telephone at 401-222-1800, Monday to Friday between 8:30am – 3:30pm, or at [email protected]